Francesca woke to the sound of Macon getting ready for work. She sat up in the bed and pulled the blanket to her chest. "I have my final fitting today for my dress, and there are a few more things we need for Saturday."

He nodded to her but refused to speak. Then he turned and walked out, coming back a few minutes later with keys and a checkbook. "Pay the caterer and the band while you're out." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I love you Francesca." He looked her in the eyes for a brief moment then left. She waited for a few minutes then jumped up. The email said her flight left at 11 and she had things to do. She dressed quickly, packed a small bag and made a mad dash to the bank where she cleared out the wedding account. 50k was more money than she had ever held, but it would be enough to help her start a new life. She parked outside of the bridal shop and tossed her cellphone and engagement ring in the glovebox. Locking the keys in the car she walked away.

She hailed a cab and headed to the airport. Hopefully Macon wouldn't realize what was going on until nightfall when she didn't come home. She gave the cabbie a large tip as she dashed into the airport. It was 10am and she had no idea where she was going. Francesca walked to the service desk and spoke to the attendant. "Hi, I'm looking for the flight to Domino City Japan, could you please tell me what gate that is?"

The attendant looked at the computer for a moment "we don't have a plane headed to Domino City directly, we do have one with a layover in LA. But its a private flight with a private passenger list." Francesca sighed and she had no way to reach out to her contact.

"Excuse me, are you Francesca Delacroix?" A voice asked from behind her. She turned to see a tall handsome young man with purple eyes and black hair.

"Yes," she answered hesitantly.

"Hi, I'm Mokuba Kaiba. I believe we have been emailing." He held out his hand and she took it. "Sorry about the layover in LA," he said as they began walking towards the private gate. "But Seto and I have had something come up. But I made sure we kept our promise to pick you up."

"I really do appreciate this." She said as she tried to keep up with his much longer legs. But his one stride was almost 2 of hers. The airport was packed and keeping up with him was a daunting task as she was forced to basically run. "Mr. Kaiba, can we slow down a bit?" She finally had to ask. "My legs aren't quite as long as yours."

He looked down and saw her slightly out of breath. "Absolutely, I am so sorry. I sometimes forget that not everyone is as tall as me. That last growth spurt really hit me hard. By the way, call me Mokuba. I hate that Mr. Kaiba crap. But if I were you I would still call my brother that." He laughed slightly.

"Call me Chessy" she said smiling. She was one step closer to starting her new life.

The private gate was empty save one man who stood in a stiff white suit watching a jet get fueled up. "Hey big brother, meet our new personal assistant."

Francesca knew Seto Kaiba by reputation and from magazine articles, but she never imagined he would make such an imposing figure. He stood straight topping out at 6'7", thin but she could see the muscle under his shirt. His blue eyes pierced into hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said, holding out her hand to him. He looked at her blankly for a moment then took her small hand into his larger one. The handshake was brief, but firm. All business. After pulling his hand back he turned back to the window ignoring the others.

Mokuba sat down in a chair in the lounge area and motioned for Chessy to sit beside him. "That was intense," she muttered. He snorted.

"Yeah, he has that broody thing going on. Too much going on upstairs." He pointed to his head. She had to stifle a laugh at that comment. She sat back in the chair, her anxiety was high. She was almost out of Louisiana. Almost away from Macon. While she felt guilty about leaving her parents alone and possibly homeless she had to be selfish.

Seto

He watched their reflections in the window. The duo were laughing and joking but his eyes were fixed on her. She was pretty with vibrant green eyes. Her hair was up in a high, tight bun and he wondered what it would look like down. And her voice, that sweet soft southern accent was tempting. He could tell she tried to hide it, but she was not very successful.

Shaking his head he banished the thought. She was his employee. Or would be shortly. He watched for a while longer waiting on the jet to be fueled. His right hand held the memory of her soft skin. When the jet was fueled up he turned to his brother and the woman. "Let's go." His voice was cold and harsh as he walked ahead of them leading the way. When they got to the stairs leading to the jet he moved to the side "ladies first". She smiled up at him, a smile that started a fire in his gut. She walked past him and a strange comfortable aroma hit his nose. It instantly made him feel relaxed. He let her get halfway up before he followed watching her sway her hips under the mint green shift dress she wore.

Francesca

Francesca stepped onto the jet and her breath caught. It was beautiful, everything was white and blue and pristine. "You good?" Mokuba asked as he and his brother came to a stop behind her.

"Yes, I've never been on a plane before." She sat down at the first seat she came to and looked around. "This is beautiful" she said as the men walked past her. Mokuba took the seat across from her while his brother sat on the other side of the jet to her left.

"Yeah, it's nice. Buckle up." He instructed as he buckled himself in. She did the same and a short time later the jet took off. Chessy found herself holding on to the seat so tight her knuckles turned white. "Just breathe" Mokuba instructed "in through your nose and out through your mouth. She nodded as she followed his instructions, calming herself.

"Sorry" she said after the jet leveled off. "I didn't think it would freak me out that badly." She let go of the seat and flexed her fingers slowly to get the circulation back.

"Nah, you're good." Mokuba replied, waving his hands at her. "Flying for the first time can be scary. I puked the entire flight my first time." He laughed, "I was green." Chessy chuckled lightly. "It's a little over a four hour flight to LA. Make yourself comfortable. He took out a phone and put some wireless headphones in.

Francesca turned and looked out the window smiling as Cordelia and Macon faded into the distance. She was finally free.